★・・・・・・★

Chapter Two

DAY ONE - AROUND NOON

Ralsei blinked, and he was back in the doorway. Warm yellow and green lights danced in front of his eyes, instead of the harsh, blinding white of the void. He was frozen in place, Susie and Kris far ahead of him. Ralsei stared at their backs, his heart pounding in his chest. 

Whatever had just happened, it didn’t feel real. Has it even happened? Or did Ralsei just imagine it? But what could have even led to Ralsei’s mind conjuring up something like that? Was he so desperate for Kris’ affection that his brain was starting to play tricks on him? 

Three days. 

Three days to kiss Kris. 

And if he failed… he could lose his magic.

“Ralsei?”

He flinched. “Dude, are you coming?” Susie asked. She had finally noticed the gap between the three. Ralsei stood there, still in shock, and before he knew it, Susie was standing right in front of him. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. There was a look of concern on her face.

Ralsei shook his head from side to side, trying to pull himself out of his own thoughts. 

“Yes, I’m okay! Just the lights distracted me, that’s all,” he lied. 

Susie looked over to watch as the lights from the ceiling moved to create a pattern of red and blue stars that slowly descended down the wall. Her eyebrows raised, and she stared at it for a second before she looked back up at Ralsei and said, “Yeah, it is pretty trippy, I guess.” 

 She flashed a smile at him before taking hold of Ralsei’s hand, surprising him a little, and pulling him down the hall to where Kris was standing. He shrieked as he tried to keep his feet moving on the floor and not fall flat on his face - which was a little hard since Susie was so tall she basically had him hovering off the ground. 

Susie stopped them in front of where Kris was talking to some sort of receptionist who was enthusiastically explaining how their ranks and the rooms worked. Ralsei suddenly felt very aware of how close Kris was. He looked over to them, and his stomach twisted. They were standing there, expression neutral as they listened, no emotion on their face. Sometimes Ralsei wished he could tell what Kris was thinking. 

Three days… He thought. Ralsei still didn’t believe it was entirely real. Even though it had just happened no less than a minute ago, it felt like it had been ages since he was in that white room. Since that… voice had talked to him. He swore he had met a person who sounded like that before.  For some reason, though, no face would come to mind when he searched his memory for one. It was like he forgot about someone and could only remember the sound of their voice. It almost felt like when you wake up from a dream and your brain can remember little bits and pieces of it but can make no sense of it all. Ralsei found it frustrating. 

He also found it terrifying. He knew everything about this world. It was his entire life, his purpose to have the answer to anything. But this - whatever had just happened to him - he didn’t have the answer to. It made his given role in the dark world feel futile. 

Susie banging on the vending machine next to the front desk made Ralsei realize he had been unconsciously staring at the receptionist. He smiled at them sheepishly and then awkwardly shuffled over to where his friends were standing. 

Apparently, the machine had failed to dispense one of the snacks in it all the way, and now Susie had taken it upon herself to shake it with all her might. Various packages and containers inside were rattling around as she moved it back and forth aggressively. Kris was standing next to her and watching with an amused grin on their face. Ralsei watched them and took notice of the way the corners of their eyes wrinkled when they smiled. In this lighting, they almost looked red. 

“A KISS TO THE LIGHTNER YOU YEARN FOR WILL SET YOU FREE AND EARN YOU A PLACE IN THE LIGHT WORLD.”

The words suddenly echoed through Ralsei’s head. How could he ever kiss Kris? When would he ever be put in a situation where it would be appropriate to kiss them? It would be impossible to do without making Kris feel incredibly uncomfortable. Maybe even disgusted. He had never even considered that to be something he could actually do. It seemed so absurd to even imagine himself kissing Kris. After all the time and effort he put into pushing all of his feelings towards them down, now he would have to face them head-on. 

“You okay?” Ralsei heard Kris ask. They were right in front of Ralsei again. He jumped. Ralsei’s paws had absentmindedly come up and started to tug at his ears while he was thinking. Kris was following the motion with their eyes intently. It made heat bloom across Ralsei’s face.

“Oh yeah! I’m okay! I promise,” He said. He faked the best smile he could and pulled his arms back down to his sides. 

Kris didn’t look very convinced, though. 

“I don’t know, dude, you’ve been acting weird,” Susie said from beside Kris. “You’ve been staring off into space… Like, a lot.”

Ralsei laughed nervously. He looked up at the ceiling, trying to come up with any excuse he could find. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little overwhelmed, I guess.” 

Kris continued to stare at him with the same neutral expression as always. “Why?” They asked. 

Because of you.

Ralsei felt himself tense up. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, “The… This new place, of course! It’s just a lot to take in all at once.” 

Susie hummed in thought. “I don’t know. I’d say the last dark world was way worse. I could barely navigate that Cyber City. I swear that place was designed to piss me off, specifically. We walked in circles for like an hour before Kris finally figured out where we were going.” 

Kris turned and punched Susie’s shoulder, hard enough to make her stumble to the side. 

“OW!” She yelled. She turned and shoved him right back. Kris faltered a little but managed to catch their balance. They started to rush at Susie, hands up in front of them. Susie laughed and caught them by their wrists and pushed back with maybe a little bit too much force, sending Kris backwards. It was meant to be playful, but Kris couldn’t manage to catch themselves and their feet slipped out from under them. They go toppling towards the wall beside them, hit the back of their head with a thunk, and fall to the ground onto their back. They land right at Ralsei’s feet. 

Both Ralsei and Susie let out a startled gasp.

“Oh, man, Kris! I’m so sorry!” Susie apologizes. 

Ralsei could barely hear her. He immediately dropped down onto his knees and slipped his paw under the back of Kris’ head. He forgot to move it away and kept it there as Kris moved to sit up in front of him. Ralsei was acutely aware of how close they were. He could feel Kris’ legs brushing against his, and their faces were inches apart. He gulped. 

“Are you okay?” Ralsei asks. If everything that had happened was real, if he actually had to kiss Kris, this was his opportunity. All he had to do was close the gap between them. He could become a lightner and have a place in the real world. And Kris was right there. Ralsei’s eyes flicked down to their lips. His heart pounded loudly in his chest. 

It almost looked like Kris realized what Ralsei was planning to do for a second, and it made the fur on the back of his neck stand up. But the moment was cut off by Susie crouching down next to them. She tucked her hands under Kris’ arms and lifted them up, surprising both of them. Ralsei’s paw slipped away from Kris’ face and fell back down to his side. He watched from his place on the floor as Susie made a big deal of making sure she didn’t actually hurt Kris.

Ralsei felt a wave of shame. He was selfish to think it was a good idea to kiss Kris while he was down like that. He could tell Kris was still a little bit dazed from having their head practically bounce off a wall. Kris was his friend. How good of a friend would Ralsei be if he took advantage of them while they were vulnerable like that?

 He still wasn’t even sure if any of it was real either. His feelings for Kris were not part of the prophecy. That white room and ultimatum given to him by a weird, disembodied voice were not part of the prophecy. Ralsei felt like he was going crazy - which wasn't part of the prophecy, either. But then again, if he was, and the prophecy did predict him going crazy, he wouldn’t know that. Because he would be crazy. 

“You too!” Ralsei heard Susie say, and suddenly he was being lifted back to his feet. Susie smiled at him, and Ralsei smiled back. 

All Ralsei could do now was try to ignore everything. They were all in the middle of trying to close a dark fountain. He couldn’t let himself get distracted from that. He didn’t have the time to let himself be distracted by it/.

★・・・・・・★

Chapter One

Kris, Ralsei, and Susie all looked at each other in relief as the game finally ended. For what had felt like hours, they had been slapped into the middle of a game show and forced to participate in a ton of different games and hijinks that went on for way longer than any of them had wanted it to. It was fun at first, but after the second or third round, it was becoming exhausting, and they were all wishing for it to be over.

Susie looked from Kris to Ralsei and eventually said, “I definitely outscored both of you. Just saying.” Her arms were crossed behind her neck, head thrown back to look at the ceiling. Susie looked so sure of herself in that pose that Ralsei didn’t doubt her. Kris snickered. 

“No way,” They said. “I won.” 

Susie brought her arms back down to her sides and fixed her gaze on Kris. Her eyebrow was raised as she scoffed. 

“You sucked!” She pointed her finger to Kris’ chest. “You kept on getting us lost in that desert place.” 

Kris shook their head, basically saying ‘nuh-uh.’

Susie barked out a laugh. “You lost, and you know it.” Her face was smug but Ralsei could tell she was just playing. She turned to him and asked, “What do you think, Ralsei? Who was better?”

Ralsei’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. “Uh-”

 Kris was looking at him too. There was a slight smirk on their face. Ralsei didn’t wanna take sides. He cleared his throat and said, “I think both of you did great! We were all on the same team-” 

Before Ralsei could finish Susie reached out and picked him up. 

“Hey!” He started to flail in her arms. She shoved him under her arm and started rubbing his head with her knuckles. 

“You know I won, you just don’t want to admit it.” 

Ralsei started to bat at her hand with his paws and squeal. “No! I mean it! Put me down!”

“Ugh, fine,” Susie said. She carefully lifted him up, then put him back down. He stumbled for a second, trying to catch his balance and his glasses slid right off his face. He could feel them shifting and loosening when getting squeezed by Susie, but he didn’t expect them to fall off. His vision was horrible. He hates it when they fall off because then he has to fall to his knees on the ground and blindly feel around for them on the floor. 

“Dangit,” he mumbled. But before he could even look down, he felt them being pushed back onto his face. 

His vision slowly came back into focus. Kris was right in front of him. Like, right in front of him. Ralsei froze. 

“Here,” Kris said, a small smile on their face. 

Ralsei’s heart felt like it stopped for a moment. 

“Oh, uh. Thank you.” He could feel his ears burning. Hopefully he wasn’t blushing. There were rare moments when Kris would get close to him like this, and every time it happened Ralsei would clam up and not know how to react. He liked Kris. A lot. And he hoped it wasn’t too obvious. It would complicate everything if Kris or Susie or anyone knew about Ralsei’s feelings towards them. 

Late at night, when Ralsei was alone, he would catch himself thinking about Kris. Their hair and their hands and how they barely speak but still managed to come off as so charming somehow. It throws Ralsei for a loop. It’s not part of the prophecy. His little… crush isn’t supposed to be a thing. So he shoves the feelings down and tries to forget about them. 

Ralsei is pulled out of his little, embarrassed stupor when Kris starts onward. They push open a door with a star on it and start to go inside. Ralsei is quick to follow. 

As he enters, he’s shrouded in darkness. He stops and waits for his eyes to adjust to the dark. And for a few seconds it almost seems like there’s nothing - like he entered an empty room with nothing in it.

 Then he’s hit with a bright white flash of light. It frightens him so bad he throws his arms up in front of his eyes and stumbles backwards. He ends up on the ground. 

“H-huh? What’s going on?” Ralsei says in such a panic he nearly yells. He plants his feet on the ground and tries to lift himself back up. “Kris?”

Nothing. Just silence. Ralsei froze. Slowly, he lowered his arms, eyes blinking as they tried to adjust to the light again. There was nothing. 

No room. No door. 

No Kris or Susie. 

Just a blinding white void. 

Panic was starting to set in. Ralsei could feel his fur raising at the ends. He had no idea what was happening or where he was. He has never seen or heard of anything like this happening to anyone before. 

He stands up straight and clasps his hands together, his claws digging into his skin. He turns around and tries to go back the way he came from. But it’s all void. He runs and runs but there is nothing. No sign of life. No walls or doors. Not even a single physical object he can run his paws along and touch.

“RALSEI,” a deep voice calls out.

He screams and stops dead in his tracks. The voice almost sounded… familiar. 

Ralsei whips his head around, trying to find a face to match with the voice - something that would give him clarity and end his anxious confusion. His claws reach up and start tugging at his ears, a nervous habit he picked up.

“Who are you?” Ralsei asked. The only response was the horrible sound of silence. 

“Where am I?” He tries again. 

“I KNOW THE THINGS YOU WISH FOR.”

Ralsei jumped, and his blood ran cold as he processed the words.

Oh god. No one should know that. And which things? Ralsei can’t deny that he yearns for a lot - a place to call home that isn’t his castle, a place that still feels so lonely even with so many people in it. A life outside of the dark world, to be a part of his friends' lives in a way that doesn’t feel so temporary. 

…Oh. And Kris, the one Ralsei yearns for the most. His ears flattened against his head. But no one knows about that. How could anyone know that? He has never dared to speak a word to anyone about it. He made sure no one knew about it. Every day he felt as if he were walking on glass around Kris, making sure nothing he did or said could be interpreted in a romantic way by anyone. 

“YES. KRIS. THAT’S THE ONE YOU WANT.” 

Ralsei’s heart dropped. 

“I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT YOU YEARN FOR.” 

His breathing picked up. 

“ONLY A KISS CAN FREE YOU FROM THE CHAINS THAT HOLD YOU IN THE DARK WORLD.” 

A kiss?  From who? What does that mean? Who is Ralsei speaking to right now, and why are they offering him something? 

“SPEAK TO NO ONE OF THIS, AND I CAN GRANT YOU WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WANTING.” 

“Wh- who are you? What do you want from me?” Ralsei's voice was shaking. “Where’s Susie and Kris and what did you do to them?” He felt like he could barely speak. It took everything in him to force himself to talk instead of dropping to his knees and crying out of fear and frustration like he wanted to. 

“A KISS TO THE LIGHTNER YOU YEARN FOR WILL SET YOU FREE AND EARN YOU A PLACE IN THE LIGHT WORLD.” 

Ralsei’s heart started to pound in his chest. He could become a lightner?

“BUT FAILING TO HAVE THEIR LIPS MEET YOURS WILL RESULT IN YOU LOSING WHAT MAKES YOU A PRINCE IN THIS WORLD.” 

Ralsei’s eyes widened. His magic? He could lose his magic? 

“DO YOU ACCEPT MY OFFER?”

He stood there, frozen. Ralsei was being given an ultimatum. He could accept the challenge and risk his and Kris’ relationship changing forever for the chance to have what he’s always wanted - becoming a lightner. But what if Kris hated him afterwards? What if it changed how Kris looks at him forever? If Kris hates him forever for it, then there wouldn’t even be a reason to be in the light world. 

Ralsei’s heart fluttered. 

But if Kris doesn’t hate him forever, then… He and Ralsei could be happy and live life together forever. Who knows what will happen after there are no more dark fountains to close. Would Kris and Susie still come to visit him after? Or would they move on with their lives and forget about him? 

Ralsei wants to say yes so bad… But before he could speak, the voice called out again. 

“THEN IT IS SETTLED. YOU HAVE THREE DAYS.”

★・・・・・・★